#mirroth

Errich woke with a start, hand flying to the sword at his side. It was only when his tired eyes registered Ch’aarley’s face, lips pulled down in exhaustion, that his heart began to slow. They were not under attack. They were safe. For now.

Errich stood up and stepped out of the tent they had set up, hearing the thin blanket shuffle against the dirt as Ch’aarley laid down. All was silent after that brief sound, save for the crackling of the fire. 

Dreg sat with his back to the fire, the light reflecting off his cloak and revealing the thin strands of thread making up near invisible eyes, covering the back of the cloak. Merah laid around his neck, tail tucked under her head with the flames reflecting in her eyes. Errich sat on the other side of the fire, a little to the left so he wasn’t directly in the small dragon’s line of sight. 

His sword rested in his lap, a dark stain against one edge that wouldn’t leave no matter how much Errich attempted to clean it. This fact did not stop him from drawing a rag from his pocket and running it along the blade. His eyes drifted up as he worked, staring into the woods surrounding them.

“Thank you.” Those words broke the silence, though how long it had been Errich did not know. His hand paused on the blade, but he didn’t turn around.

“You would have done the same.” As the words left his mouth, he paused. Errich had not known Dreg for a month at this point, and the goblin had done nothing to make him believe he would be willing to lay his life on the line for the party. But Errich still believed his words to be true.

Dreg did not speak again for a while, the only sound the crackling fire between the two. Errich set aside his sword, dark spot still shining brightly, and reached into the leather pouch at his side, pulling out a small knife and a scrap of leather. An embroidered design ran across the length of the scrap, and the edges along half of it had been carved, frayed to look like a feather. Errich pressed the knife along the edge, but he could not bring himself to make a new cut.

“Why were you so against traveling through the mountains?” Dreg’s voice startled Errich more this time, his knife slipping and slicing the leather in half. 

Errich thought he could feel his teeth crack as he clenched his jaw, his fists balled as he stared at the ruined piece in his lap. He felt his voice, hollow in his throat, slip into the air around him.

“I lost someone there.” He could see his father’s smiling face at the dinner table. Verelle rolling her eyes at some corny joke, but he could see the smile tugging at her lips. Yoris helping their mother serve the food. His uncles and aunts are gathered around. The flash of a silver blade being brought down, and the deep red of blood mixing into the earth at his feet.

“I didn’t even do anything. I couldn’t.” Tears welled in his eyes, though Errich made no move to wipe them away. He let them fall, carving a path down his face and dripping onto the broken leather.

“I’ve lost people, too. I think.” His voice was soft, like a breeze, so unusual for his often blunt demeanor. Errich twisted in place to see his companion. 

Dreg still sat with his back against the fire, and in his hands was the shriveled ear he wore on his neck. Errich fought down a familiar wave of discomfort at the sight and moved his gaze to Dreg’s face. He seemed almost wistful, but the moment passed and the ear dropped from his hand, bouncing once off his chest before it rested against his skin.

“I woke up surrounded by corpses, and I still don’t know why I am alive. I don’t think I ever will. There is nothing I can do to change it.” Dreg turned his head, looking at Errich out of the corner of his eye, and Errich swore he could see the beginnings of a tear.

Errich stood with his family, attempting to make sure his sibling had everything they needed. Yoris swatted at his hands, insisting they had packed everything, but a smile was on their face, and Errich knew his own face mirrored the same expression. Verelle was next to them, scanning the crowd and making sure everyone was present.

    “Everyone accounted for?” Errich asked, letting his hands fall from Yoris to rest on the hilt of his sword.

    “Everyone but Khens. Could you go find him and let him know we’re ready to leave?” Verelle asked, either not noticing or ignoring the way Errich’s face flushed at the very mention of Khens’ name. He sputtered out a few words of- protest? Acceptance? Even he did not know, but Verelle just turned and walked to a group of elder halflings, helping them load their supplies onto the magic carpet that was to accompany them.

    Errich took a deep breath and walked away from the group, headed towards the forest edge on the north side of the village. Khens was there, just as he predicted, counting the arrows in his quiver. He looked up as Errich approached, stopping him dead in his tracks. His iris were laced with purple, stunning against his pale skin, and his near white hair tied up, draping over his shoulder. He took Errich’s breath away just as easily now as he did the first time he laid eyes on him.

    You’re staring. The words echoed in his head, humor laced in Khens voice. Errich shook his head and looked down, trying to will his face to return to its normal color. 

    “Verelle sent me to get you because everyone is good to go okay nice seeing you bye.” Errich let all that out in one breath before turning on his heel and attempting to speed walk his way back to his party. A hand on his shoulder stopped him from getting farther than one step. He was spun around and saw Khens standing above him, leaning slightly over him. The sun was behind him, spotty through the trees and casting his hair with a golden halo.

    “Can we talk?” The words hung in the air between them, and Errich nodded his head. Khens wasn’t meeting his eyes, shifting his gaze from their feet to the side. Errich nodded, not trusting his voice to remain steady if he spoke. What was he going to say? Good job beating Urzul?

    Khens nodded back, dropping to one knee in front of Errich. Even still, he was taller than the halfling, just by a few inches. He looked up from the ground and met Errich’s eyes.

    “I’m sorry.” The words took a minute to process in Errich’s brain. When he didn’t respond, Khens pushed on. “I thought you were just being cowardly when you wouldn’t come back here. I hadn’t realized,” he paused in his words, unsure of what he was saying. Errich had never heard him so nervous. “You proved me wrong, and I’m sorry I ever doubted you. I will never again make that mistake.” Khens maintained the eye contact,though Errich could see his eyes start to dart away for a moment. He was so vulnerable, so open. Errich had never seen him like this. 

    Khens continued to speak. “I know that you have every reason to not want to see me again, but I’m with you, for better or for worse. If you’ll have me.” 

    Errich’s body moved without him thinking, and suddenly his lips were on Khens’, a familiar and missed feeling of electricity running through his veins. He pulled back and saw the smile begin to grow on Khens lips.

    “It’ll probably be for worse,” was all Errich could think to say, which drew a laugh out of his love.

Day 1: Progenitors

I’ve seen a bunch of other people doing the dragon share challenge thing so I figured I’d hop on the bandwagon lol

Mirroth was my custom progen and he was ugly as hell when I made him. He was steel/silver/tomato or something like that, which wasn’t bad looking as a triple basic guardian but was pretty much impossible to work with. Then after two scatter scrolls he became a beautiful XYY and basically that was the luckiest moment of my FR career. He’s the king of my clan and Vollenth’s umpteenth husband, and while he tends to hide from his responsibilities he’s far from incompetent. Overall a very kind, charismatic guy. Would have preferred traveling to being a king but he loves his wife and kids so he can’t complain.